


A Changed World

by alexcat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, M/M, Magic, Minor Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson, Non-Graphic Violence, Oral Sex, past Steve Rogers/Thor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:08:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25392883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/pseuds/alexcat
Summary: Steve Rogers goes back to 2012 New York and grabs Loki before he teleports away with the Tesseract. He gets much more than he bargained for when he takes Loki home with him.
Relationships: Loki/Steve Rogers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57
Collections: Of Elves and Men





	A Changed World

Part 1

Steve Rogers did something that no one would have ever guessed when he went back to New York to return the scepter. He watched for Scott and Tony to do their thing. All the while, he was watching Loki. The bastard wasn’t getting away with the Tesseract this time. He’d see to it.

Just before Loki started to teleport away, Steve slapped the spare GPS he brought with him onto Loki’s arm and activated it. They were in Steve’s apartment in 2023 Brooklyn in seconds. 

“What have you done, Captain?” Loki whirled on Steve, his eyes bright with – amusement? That was a surprise.

“I stopped you from stealing the Tesseract again.” 

Loki only then seemed to notice that he didn’t have the cube. Steve did, having grabbed the case and stowing the stone inside it.

“Where, or maybe I should say, when are we?” Loki didn’t seem very upset at all. “Come on. You rescued me from my brother. Or whatever fool thing I was about to do.”

Steve nodded. “I did.”

“So now what are you going to do with me?” Loki’s oily smile was still in place. 

“What do you want me to do with you?” Steve stayed calm, though in truth, Loki was irritating him with questions he couldn’t actually answer. He simply had not thought that far ahead. His lack of forethought might be a problem, he decided. 

“You can tie me up so I don’t get away. Or gag me so I can’t taunt you.” 

The words had a different effect on Steve than he thought they would. He blushed at the image that flashed in his mind. 

“Imagining me all tied up?” Loki’s voice dropped to a purr. “What would you do to me?” 

Steve looked away for a moment then back again. “Stop trying to fuck with me. You can’t bend me to your will.” 

Loki chuckled. “Maybe I want you to bend me to _your_ will, soldier.” 

Steve felt a shiver run down his spine and it wasn’t revulsion. He let the comment go. “For now, you’re stuck here with me. No one knows where you are or where I am.”

Loki leered. “Then we are truly all alone? Oh goody.”

Steve stepped close to Loki. “Do I really have to tie you up?” 

Loki licked his lip. “Only if you want to. I don’t have anywhere to go right now.”

Steve didn’t say anything. Perhaps he had not been wise in doing this. He needed to figure out what to do with Loki. He also needed to figure out why his pulse had quickened when the sneaky little fuck licked his lip. 

“As I said, you’re stuck here with me right now.” Even as he said the words, Steve wasn’t sure how true they were. He knew how powerful Loki was and if he wanted the Tesseract and to transport away, it wouldn’t be hard to take it. Steve was strong but he wasn’t a god. Loki basically was. It seemed, at least for now, Loki was satisfied with staying here. 

“I’m not sure there is anyone I’d rather be stuck with, Captain. I’d certainly love a chance to test how righteous you really are.” Loki’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Do you think you could tame a god like me?”

Steve didn’t answer. The image that flitted through his mind was not exactly something he could say out loud. “You’re annoying as hell. I’m sure everyone you know has told you that sometime in your life.” 

“You know, I think my brother might fancy you. He fancies himself a lady’s man, but he was always happiest playing bitch to his other warrior buddies.” Loki turned into Thor. “Would you like me to be your bitch, Captain,” Loki asked in Thor’s deep tones. 

“Stop it, Loki.” Steve said, suddenly weary of Loki’s games. “I’m going to find some food. Are you hungry?”

Loki stayed Thor and answered, “Only for you, Captain.” 

“Fuck you,” Steve answered him, in frustration and burgeoning rage. 

“That’s the idea,” Loki said as he was suddenly himself again. 

“You are maddening, aren’t you?”

“That is my other hunger.” 

“To go mad or drive everyone else mad?” Steve asked. 

The question was rhetorical, but Loki had an answer. “Yes.” 

“Food. What would a god like you eat?”

Loki laughed. “I am quite fond of those cheesy pie things – pizzas. I do not crave meat and ale as my brother does. I crave power and glory.”

Steve nodded. “I’ll order one.” He looked at Loki a moment and added. “Do you think you could muster up some modern clothes. You look like you walked out of one of those medieval games that Barton likes.”

Loki was immediately dressed in black pants, shirt and jacket. “This better?” 

Steve stared for a little too long then nodded. Was Loki doing something to his mind? He didn’t have the Mind Stone, so it wasn’t that. Every time he looked at the trickster, he wanted to – what? What did he want to do to him?

As if reading his mind yet again, Loki purred, “I think you’ll find me most pliant.”

The image of Loki on his hands and knees, being his bitch, came to his mind quite unbidden. 

“Like I believe that?” 

Loki shrugged. “Can’t blame me for trying, can you?” 

Steve gritted his teeth and called out for food. 

He tried not to talk to Loki while they waited. That didn’t stop Loki. 

“You could just send me home. I’m sure my father would be thrilled to have me back. He could put me in his dungeon or something equally pleasant.”

Steve couldn’t tell him the truth – that Asgard was gone and his parents were both dead. Even if he were only an adopted son of Odin, surely he would be upset at his father’s death. He’d tell him eventually, but not today. 

“You’re stuck with me right now, Loki.” 

The pizza arrived, saving Steve from having to say more about Loki’s family. He paid the delivery guy. 

“Beer?” he asked Loki as he fished around in his fridge for something to drink.

“Why not?” Loki said as if he didn’t care, but he did wander over to the table, where he lifted the corner of the pizza box lid. “This planet is a shithole, but I do like the food here.”

They sat down to eat. 

“So what year is it?” Loki asked as he ate like he was starving.

“2023.” Steve was eating like a hungry man, too. He was a little disconcerted that he didn’t seem to be able to stop looking at Loki’s mouth. 

“Long jump there. Are you going to fill me in on what’s happened since then?” 

“Not yet. I need to think about it. More?” Loki had finished his second slice. He nodded and took another from the box. 

“Where is my brother? Is he back in Asgard?”

“He’s actually out in space with his friends, the Guardians of the Galaxy.” 

Loki seemed to mull this over. He shrugged. “Very well. I’ll refrain from asking more questions now.”

They finished their pizza in silence. Steve cleaned up. “What do evil stepbrothers do when they’re not trying to enslave other worlds?” he asked Loki with a smile.

“Deflower maidens?” Loki answered. “Though I have to admit that I’ve never cared overmuch for maidens.” 

Loki was always playing a game, wasn’t he? Steve thought. “Do I bite or ignore the remark?” Steve said aloud, only realizing what he’d done after the fact. 

“Bite. Definitely bite,” Loki said with a grin. 

“Loki, I’m not sure why I was insane enough to think this was a good idea but I’m stuck with you. And you with me.”

“So you say,” was all Loki said.

He waited for Loki to ask him why and was relieved when he didn’t do so. He simply wasn’t ready to tell him all the awful things that had happened. Even as cold-hearted as Loki seemed to be, Steve was sure that he loved his adopted family in some way and would mourn them. He hoped to find Thor and let Thor take care of him. He knew for certain that Thor loved his brother. He had been devastated when Thanos had killed Loki. 

Loki sighed. “We could sleep. Do I get to sleep with you?” 

“I think not. You take the bed and I’ll sleep out here on the sofa.” 

Loki sighed again. Steve almost laughed at his dramatics. He took Loki to the bedroom while he got a pillow and some blankets for the sofa. He figured that if he slept between Loki and the door, the chance of his still being there in the morning was at least a little better.

The problem was trying to go to sleep. Loki had gotten under his skin, in more ways than just as an irritant. From the first time he’d seen Loki in Stuttgart, there had been some sort of pull. The looks Loki gave him on the Quinjet that night had gone straight to his groin. He might not be the most experienced man around but he knew lust – he’d seen a lot of it since the serum, in men, women, old and young. Loki’s looks at him were pure hunger and lust, of that he was certain. He just wasn’t certain how he felt about them.

He finally went to sleep only to dream of those changeable eyes and that smirk. Then the dreams shifted into something more. Kisses, touches, more. He woke gasping, sitting straight up. He was sweating and hard as a rock. 

Loki sat in the armchair and watched him. 

“Dreaming, Captain?” 

“What are you doing in here?” 

“I – you were dreaming?” 

Steve wondered if Loki could get inside his dreams. Or cause him to dream? 

“I was. You can go back to bed.” 

Loki stood, never taking his eyes from Steve. “Are you sure?”

Steve wasn’t sure. That was the trouble. Since he’d nabbed Loki, he’d had this burn, this need. Loki seemed to be the answer to the need. Was he? Steve certainly had no one else now. Natasha was gone. Tony was gone. 

But Loki had been the one who began this, hadn’t he? Hadn’t he brought Thanos and his road show of evil to earth? Had he been used just like they had? What was he thinking bringing him here? 

“Captain?” Loki asked. “Are you all right?” Loki stepped closer and touched his arm, his eyes dropping briefly to Steve boxers, which were still quite tented with the erection he woke with. 

“I’m fine. You can -”

Loki interrupted him, nodding toward his cock. “I can take care for that for you.” His voice was a purr by now, a purr that vibrated on Steve’s skin as he spoke. 

Steve bit his lip. “I – you – I’m fine.” 

Loki touched him, just a feathered touch of his hand on Steve’s bare arm. He should have known this would happen! He was stronger than Loki. He knew he was! His mouth betrayed him though. “Touch me.” Oh god, it came out like a plea. Was he begging this pissy god-child? 

Loki licked his upper lip and his eyes flashed with amusement and something else. Heat. Desire leapt in those green one minute and blue the next eyes of his. He moved closer, close enough to reach down between them and touch Steve through those tented boxers. “Fuck,” he hissed as that hot hand closed around him. “I thought you were a frost giant? You hand feels like fire.”

“And your cock is as hard as stone. What would you have me do?”

Steve grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the bedroom that Loki left a few minutes prior. “Stay here. I don’t need the complication that you’d be if I fucked you.” He turned to leave and Loki grabbed his arm. 

Steve knew from fighting him that Thor’s wiry little brother was much stronger than he looked. “I do,” Loki said then clarified, “need the complication and I need you to fuck me. I’ve wanted it since you mouthed back at me in that dismal town when we met. What was it, Stuttgart?” He pulled Steve to him, looking up into Steve’s eyes before he kissed him, opening his mouth beneath Steve’s. 

Steve put both arms around Loki, kissing him deeply and until both of them were nearly dizzy from forgetting to breathe. He lifted Loki and tossed him on the bed. He dropped his boxers then pulled the t-shirt he wore over his head as Loki smirked triumphantly at him. 

“Take your clothes off,” Steve commanded. 

Loki acquiesced, removing the sleep pants and t-shirt he wore. His skin was pale and he was quite slim. Steve knew from seeing him fight before that there was no weakness in his body and that his lack of color meant nothing. Loki was what he was, god… alien… Steve didn’t care anymore at all. He simply wanted to bury himself in his depths and find a moment of sweet peace. 

He got on the bed beside Loki and reached for him. Whatever he expected, it was not the soft kisses that Loki gave him as he pulled Steve on top of him. Loki rocked up from underneath, rubbing his cock against Steve’s. Loki reached between them, taking both of them in his hand, stroking them together. 

Steve felt guilty for not telling Loki the whole truth, but not guilty enough to stop what they were doing. He moved down Loki’s body, licking his collarbone, his chest and dipping all the way down to dart his tongue into Loki’s navel, grinning against his belly as Loki squirmed and made a noise. He caught Loki’s head in his mouth and licked it, swirling his tongue around it until it was wet enough to take deeper. 

Steve got so caught up in pleasuring Loki that he almost forgot who he was. He felt power tingle on his skin where Loki’s hand touched his shoulder. He’d felt it with Wanda. Loki’s magic was different, but he recognized it nonetheless as tendrils of pleasure radiated from the god’s touch. 

”Wouldn’t you rather be with my brother?” The tone laced Loki’s usual snark or sarcasm. 

Steve stopped what he was doing. He felt something, something in him soften at the way Loki said the words. He let Loki slip from his mouth and looked up into those stormy eyes. “No. I would _not_ rather be with your brother. I want you. Here. Now.” He moved up to kiss Loki. 

Loki, being the proud creature that he was, gave Steve a smirk just before Steve’s lips touched his. Steve knew that Loki would not acknowledge that he felt anything, but he didn’t care. He gave himself to the kiss, pouring all his own loneliness and need into it. Steve growled as his tongue slid against Loki’s. 

“I want you inside me, soldier,” Loki murmured in that clipped accent of his between kisses. 

“I want to be inside you, too.” 

Steve knew there was lube in the drawer. 

During the five years they waited to find a solution to the Snap, he’d had a few encounters with both men and women he’d met in the city. He’d been lonely and sometimes shared his bed with someone else just to avoid the prospect of another dawn alone. 

He moved over to get the little tube from his nightstand. 

Loki watched, the look on his face quite unreadable. 

Steve popped the little cap open and poured some of the viscous gel in his hand. He moved between Loki’s open legs and rubbed the gel onto his fingers, sliding them over the outside of the puckered little opening until Loki pushed against his hand. He slipped one slickened finger inside. 

“How can an ice giant be so damned hot?” Steve said as he added a second finger. 

Loki, for once, didn’t say anything. He groaned out loud when Steve curled his fingers inside. Steve wrapped his other hand around Loki’s cock and began to slide it up and down in the same slow rhythm he’d found with his fingers. Loki’s eyes were fixed on Steve’s as he knelt beside him, watching Loki as he pleasured him.

“I still want you inside me, soldier,” Loki breathed the last word like a prayer, Steve thought. The sound went straight to his own sex, making it twitch in anticipation. He moved carefully, between Loki’s legs, keeping his fingers inside until he was in position. He rubbed lube on himself with his free hand and slipped his fingers free as he pressed his cock inside. 

Loki pulled his legs up and kept them apart, giving Steve room to lie between them. He sought Loki’s mouth, kissing him as he sheathed himself completely and began to move inside him. 

“You feel so good,” Steve told him, nibbling his shoulder before returning to his mouth for another kiss. 

Loki said nothing, just held him as he moved, meeting his thrusts and rubbing himself against Steve’s belly. Steve knew that Loki was using his magic again, when he felt that little crackle almost like electricity along his skin. His pleasure intensified as he plunged all the way in again and again. He wasn’t sure if it was magic or simply need, but it didn’t matter. Loki shifted under him, making his angle different, increasing the pleasure they both felt with every move. 

“Come for me, soldier,” Loki moaned as he continued to rub against Steve. 

The words were Steve’s undoing. He tumbled into that endless second when everything stopped, then pleasure slammed into him hard, harder than pain ever had. He put his hands under Loki to drive deeper, only causing Loki to writhe more beneath him.

As he filled Loki, he felt the heat of magic again, felt it drawing more pleasure from him than he knew he could feel. He realized he was feeling what Loki felt. 

“Come on, Loki,” Steve whispered. “I can feel it… you’re so close. Let go!”

He did. Steve was looking into his eyes and saw that moment when the focus slipped and he cried out. Steve felt the waves of Loki’s orgasm just before he felt the wet warmth of his semen spilling between them. They held onto one another until both were spent and trying to catch their breath. 

Steve slipped free and moved off of Loki, a little surprised when Loki snuggled close to him, putting his head on Steve’s shoulder. 

“Are you going to tell me the bad news now?” Loki asked, running his hand gently down Steve’s chest. 

“How do you know I have bad news?” Steve looked down into his eyes. 

“I can’t read minds, but I can read men. You’re upset and guilty. You’re holding back.”

“I need to tell you what happened since 2012.” 

“I think, perhaps, you should.” 

“Your parents are dead and Asgard destroyed. I know you are not Asgardian, but Thor was sure you cared for your father and mother in the end.”

Loki did not move or give away his emotions but Steve read people fairly well, too. He felt Loki trembling ever so slightly. 

“Where is my brother?” 

“He went to space with Peter Quill, a half human who helped us defeat Thanos.”

“Did all the Asgardians die?”

“No, the survivors live here on earth with a woman who calls herself Valkyrie as their king. She was a warrior in Asgard once and she took over for Thor.”

“He always was more of a warrior than a leader. Would this Valkyrie welcome me?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll take you to her, if you wish.” 

Loki kissed his chest and put a hand on his face. “I think maybe not for a little while. I am content right where I am tonight.”

Steve realized with more than a little surprise that he was content right now as well. 

*

Part 2 

Steve woke the next morning with Loki by his side. He watched him sleep. There was something oddly vulnerable about him lying there with his hair in disarray and his mouth hanging open. Steve smiled to himself as he sat up on the side of the bed. 

“I didn’t disappear overnight, Captain.”

“I wasn’t actually thinking that. I was wondering what we might eat for breakfast.”

Loki laughed. “You have the appetite of my brother.” 

Steve looked back at him lying there and grinned. “I seem to have a lot of appetites with you here.”

Loki smiled at him. “Food first. Even gods need nourishment now and again.” 

Steve got up and, after going to the bathroom, wandered into the kitchen. He had slipped on his boxers but nothing else. He was studying takeout menus when Loki embraced him from behind, pressing his chest to Steve’s back. 

Steve turned around and hugged him. “I have no idea what I’m going to do with you.” 

“Feed me right now.” Loki kissed his cheek and pulled away. 

“Let’s find somewhere to eat. I have no food here to speak of. It’s been a while since I stayed here enough to keep food. We’ll grab a bite then buy some stuff to eat here. After that, we’ll tackle your future. And mine.” He thought a minute. “And we need to buy you some clothes. Conjuring them is strange and mine are too big for you.” 

They dressed and went to a little diner for breakfast. Both men ate hungrily and when they were done, they sat back and looked at one another. 

“You eat like you fornicate, Captain,” Loki said, grinning into his coffee cup.

Steve touched his leg under the table. He was surprised when Loki laid his hand over his. 

“Maybe we could go out for groceries later,” Steve offered, wanting Loki in his arms again. Now. 

Steve paid for their food and they hurried back to his apartment. Once inside, they were in one another’s arms as soon as the door closed. They never made it to the bed, ending up on the sofa instead, kissing and stripping one another frantically. They strained against one another, using hands and mouths until they both were spent and looking a little embarrassed and a lot the worse for wear. 

“That was -” Steve wasn’t certain what word he was looking for. 

“Frenzied?” Loki asked. 

Steve nodded. “Intense.”

Loki nodded. 

They settled on a shower, which led to more closeness of a little less urgent nature this time. Finally, they were clean and dressed again. 

“I’m hungry again,” Steve said. 

“Of course you are,” Loki laughed. 

They went to the store for staples. As they walked the aisles, Steve asked Loki. “Are you going to try to steal the Tesseract again?” 

Loki thought a minute then nodded. “Probably. It will take me where I want to go.”

“Where is that? Can you travel in time?” 

Loki looked crestfallen. “You’re sure it’s gone? Asgard, I mean?” 

“It is. You and Thor were there. It was Ragnarok.” 

“How did my father die?” 

“He died of old age, I think. He came here to earth and found a place that he thought would make a good home for his people then he died just before you and Thor met your sister in battle.”

Loki cocked his head sideways. “Our sister? How do you know so much about it all?” 

“I was close to your brother after the Snap and when he came back to earth.” 

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Close?” 

Steve felt his face color a little. “Yes. Close.” He busied himself with pushing the cart. 

Loki grinned. “I was sure he fancied you.” 

“We fancied one another. It was more comfort than anything else. Thor is a good man.” 

Loki threw his head back and laughed out loud. “Oh, I know that. He can be awfully righteous at times. He isn’t devious or evil in the least. Other than you, he might be the only other person I’ve ever lusted after. I tend to want power more than sex. Sex is fleeting.” 

Steve shook his head. “So is power, my friend.” They stopped in front of the newsstand near the checkout. 

_Captain America Lost Returning Stones_ was the headline on the paper. Loki turned to Steve and raised an eyebrow. “Care to explain?” 

“I didn’t come back to the place where I was supposed to. I nabbed you and came back in secret.” 

“So no one knows you’re even here?” 

“Bucky knows. I told him what I was going to do, but I didn’t tell him that I was coming back to the present time.” 

“No one knows you have the Tesseract?” 

“Bucky knows I went to rescue it from you.” 

“Hmmm.”

“If you take it, you’ll have to take me, too,” Steve told him. 

“After the things we have done, I can assure that having you around is not a hardship, Captain.”

“You can call me Steve.” He began putting the groceries on the belt. 

“I prefer to call you soldier and in a more intimate setting,” Loki purred. “Captain will do nicely.” 

Steve nodded and they didn’t talk while the cashier rang up their items. They carried the bags themselves and headed back home. 

“So I can’t trust you?” Steve finally said. 

Loki laughed. “I can’t trust me, so no, I think you might not want to trust me too much. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy being together, does it?” 

Steve laughed. “You are a pain in the ass just like Thor said, aren’t you?”

“I think that literally refers more to you than me. You are quite a large man.” 

Steve blushed at Loki’s words. Loki made him feel like a green schoolboy at least part of the time. The rest of the time he simply wanted the sneaky little fuck and wanted him badly.

“Can you take me to visit this New Asgard?” Loki asked when they got to the apartment and were unloading groceries and putting them away. Loki took an apple out of one of the bags, and after polishing it on his sleeve, bit into it. “This silly planet has wonderful fruit, doesn’t it?”

“I – if I contact Valkyrie, she’ll know I’m not gone.”

“But will she talk to the others?” 

“Probably not.” 

“I can take us there,” Loki said and Steve realized that Loki could probably teleport them without the Tesseract. 

“I don’t think she will be anxious to see you.” 

“You might be right. We wait then for a little while. How about my brother? Any chance of getting him back?” 

“I don’t know. Again, Valkyrie would know more about how to contact him.”

Loki laughed. “I guess you’re just stuck with the universe’s scrawniest ice giant then. Can you live with that?” 

Steve let his eyes rake Loki tall, slender form and let his mind wander to how he looked under his black clothing and nodded. “I can. Can you?” 

Loki crossed the kitchen and kissed him. “For now, yes.”

They finished putting away groceries later. 

Steve and Loki fell into a routine of sorts. They ate slept, ate, and made love – that was their life at this point. Steve knew they’d both get bored sometime but for now, they were content. He had hidden the Tesseract and was hopeful that Loki couldn’t find it. He didn’t want Loki to make use of it again. He also wasn’t ready to give up what they had. 

He went out jogging in the park every morning, wearing a hoodie to obscure a good view of his face. He was too famous to go forever without someone recognizing him, so he was careful, especially around security cameras. 

One morning when Steve returned home from his jog, Loki was missing. There was no note, no anything. His things were still there and nothing appeared to be damaged in the house. He knew he had to check on the Tesseract, but this could all be a trick to find out where it was. 

He was at a loss for what to do. He knew he’d have to contact Bucky or Valkyrie. 

He called Bucky. 

Bucky answered his cell phone. “Barnes.” 

“It’s me.” 

“Where are you?” 

“I’m in Brooklyn. I have been here for several weeks with Loki and he’s gone. Anything odd happened?” 

“Yes. There was some sort of ‘comet’ this morning but comets don’t appear and disappear in an hour.” 

“Where?” 

“Here over New York. Seemed to be toward the city.”

“Maybe someone Loki knows, I’m guessing,” Steve told him. 

“Where would they go?” Bucky asked him.

“New Asgard. It has to be. Is there a way to get me there secretly?” 

“T’Challa. He will help you and he’ll keep your secret.” Bucky didn’t say anything for a moment. “You and Loki?” he asked. 

“Um, yeah. Long story.”

Bucky laughed. “Hey, I don’t judge. I’ve had some strange bedfellows over time, too. I’ll call you back after I talk to Okoye.”

Steve paced as he waited and Bucky called back in about fifteen minutes. “It’s a go. Sam and I will come with you. Are you at your apartment?” 

“I am.”

Sam knocked on his door in a few minutes. 

“Cap!” He hugged Steve when he opened the door. “I didn’t know whether to believe Barnes or not.” 

He actually drove them to a landing field nearby. Though no one saw it, there was a Wakandan plane waiting for them. Okoye and T’Challa were aboard as well as Bucky. They all welcomed Steve with hug. Steve noticed Bucky and Sam were quite chummy. He decided to ask Bucky later. 

“Where to, Captain Rogers?” 

“New Asgard. Loki is missing and I need to find him. I also need to check out something.” He gave them the address. It was the address of the SHIELD facility where he’d been made and years later, where he’d been kept when he was thawed. There was a vault there that he’d hidden the Tesseract in. 

He and Sam debarked on the roof and made their way down the old fire escapes to the ground floor. It was a dry cleaner these days, but it was still a secure location. He gave the Asian man behind the counter a code word and he was buzzed into the elevator that led to the basement. 

The Tesseract was in its case, inside the vault. Loki had not found it or had chosen not to find it. He wasn’t sure which.

He left it where it was. 

As they took the elevator back up to the roof, Steve asked Sam. “So tell me about Bucky.”

“What is there to tell?” Sam asked.

“The two of you – you’re – are you?”

Sam tried to look innocent, but failed quite miserably. 

“Of course not.” 

“Liar,” he replied and grinned to himself as they reached the final floor. They got out and walked the last two floors up the stairs to the roof. Bucky met them at the door and off they went to New Asgard. 

*

Part 3 

Valkyrie was not the person who met them when they landed in New Asgard. A dark-haired woman greeted them. She looked a little like Loki and Steve knew immediately who she was from Thor’s description of her. 

Hela. 

Thor and Loki’s evil sister. The Queen of the Dead. 

“You must be Loki’s little friend come to rescue him.” She looked around Steve to the Black Panther standing behind him, “and you brought us a kitty, too.” 

“I’m Steve Rogers and we are Loki and Thor’s friends.”

“Come along then. I’ll take you to your boyfriend.” 

As she walked, she transformed into a figure with a giant rack of antlers on her head and a black suit not unlike Black Panther’s. They followed her into the largest dwelling. It must be Valkyrie’s throne room. Steve had seen the throne room when he’d gone to Asgard to take the Aether back to where it belonged. This was nothing like that, but this was a New Asgard in a new world. It fit more with Valkyrie’s personality. The throne was a small golden chair on a small dais instead at the head of tall staircase. 

There they found Loki and Valkyrie. Neither were tied or chained, but Steve got the impression that they were bound by some kind of magic or power in two chairs. He went straight to Loki and took his hand. 

“Hello, Captain. You shouldn’t have come.” He looked relieved to have Steve there, despite his words. 

Steve noticed Bucky’s smirk as Loki squeezed his hand back. 

“I couldn’t stay away, Loki.”

“Who is the cat?” he asked. 

“He is the guardian of Wakanda and a friend of mine and of Thor’s.” 

Hela broke in, her voice loud and booming. “Where is Thor? I want to talk to him.” 

Valkyrie spoke up. “He is in space. I am the King here. You’ll have to talk to me.” 

Hela laughed. “I thought I killed all of you years and years ago!”

Valkyrie smiled, a dangerous smile to anyone who knew her well. “You didn’t kill me, you hell beast.” 

“Oh, a saucy little thing. Weren’t you with Thor when I last met him in Asgard?” 

“I was.” 

“And look at this one – a nasty blue ice giant too small to be scary.” She nodded at Loki. “Why my father kept you, I’ll never know. He should have killed you when he found you. I would have.”

Loki just smiled at her. “You look more like me than you do Mother or Father. Maybe you’re just a bastard child, too.” 

Steve tried not to smile. Loki had always had a mouth on him. Of course he would bait someone who had him imprisoned. It was his nature. 

Hela turned on Loki. “You will be the first to die, _brother_.” 

“I don’t think so,” Valkyrie said, rising from her chair. Clearly, she had broken any spell that had bound her to it. Loki was able to stand as well, he stood up beside Steve. 

The others gathered around them, despite Hela’s two swords appearing in her hands. Steve had no idea where Valkyrie’s double-edged sword came from, but suddenly it was in her hands. He was in his suit when they got here and he swung his shield around to the front, ready to fight. Sam’s wings appeared and he lifted off the floor. Okoye was suddenly in her war uniform with her own vibranium spear in hand. The Black Panther was ready when they walked in. Bucky carried a huge gun and his arm gleamed in the light as well. Lastly, Loki appeared in his green robes with his own antler headdress with a razor-sharp dagger in each hand. 

“This is my kingdom. In the absence of the Allfather, I am now the Allmother of the Asgard people and I banish you, Hela, to the realm of the dead… to the shores of Nostrond*, where the serpents await you.”

“You haven’t beaten me yet, girl,” Hela told her. 

Valkyrie approached Hela, sword held high. “I will.”

Hela used her powers, powers that had almost defeated Thor but they had little effect on Valkyrie. Valkyrie appeared to have more power than the others because she was now the Allmother. The others watched in amazement and fascination as they fought. Valkyrie was clearly the better sword wielder, even though Hela had two weapons. 

The others moved closer to Hela and Valkyrie, surrounding them and ready to fight if need be. 

Hela used her sorcery to little avail. Thor had little in the way of sorcery, but their mother had tutored the smaller and less warlike Loki in the use of the mystic arts. Loki countered many of her attacks before they harmed Valkyrie. The ones he missed, Valkyries handled with sheer brute force and skill, wearing the other Asgardian down. 

Hela had several henchmen, but they were fewer than they’d been in Asgard and they weren’t the warriors she’d raised from the dead. They were traitors who had joined her before the destruction of Asgard. They had no special powers, so when they attacked, they were no match ay all for Steve and the others. 

Valkyrie was literally backing Hela into the corner of the throne room, pushing her farther and farther with her heavy sword. She was still wielding it as if it were light as a feather. 

Hela finally stumbled and dropped one of her swords. Valkyrie kicked it away and kept up her attack. Loki moved in as well. 

“Kill her,” he murmured to Valkyrie. 

“No. she is banished to the realm of the dead, to Nostrond, forever more. I have spoken, Loki. I am the Allmother of the Asgaridan people now. So shall it be.” 

The other Asgadians in the room repeated what she had said as did Loki. “So shall it be.” 

Hela screamed and, in a dark cloud and a loud boom, she was gone. Her mortal henchmen were left behind. Valkyrie’s guards took them away. Valkyrie gave Steve a big hug and kissed his cheek. “I am glad you came. All Loki spoke of since she showed up with him as her prisoner was you. He was sure you’d mount a rescue for him.” 

“He was right.” 

She grinned and raised an eyebrow at him. “You and Loki, imagine that.” 

Steve shrugged and grinned. 

“I hope you will all stay and celebrate with us,” Valkyrie said to all the gathering. They all agreed to stay. 

As the others talked, they put their weapons away and helped the Asgardians set the throne room to rights. Steve made a beeline to Loki. He threw caution to the wind and embraced him. “I was worried.” 

Loki smiled the oily smile. “That I’d stolen the Tesseract and ran?” 

Steve kissed his cheek. “It crossed my mind. I wanted you back, no matter why you left. I worried you’d been harmed by your sister.”

“I didn’t even know I had a sister. This time, being adopted was not such a bad thing.” Loki finally hugged Steve back and kissed his lips quickly. “Do I embarrass you?” 

“Not a bit.” 

After the cleanup and after they all also got cleaned up a little, everyone gathered in the banquet hall for dinner. Valkyrie stood with a large glass of mead in hand. “I’d like to thank our friends for helping us rid ourselves of a leftover from another age. Hela was the old Asgard and we are the new. We live in a world where we must get by our wits and our determination rather than our brute strength.”

She went on. “We have the wisdom given us by the Allfather and the blessing of survival. We are few now but that will change. We will become more and better at becoming citizens of Earth.” 

They all drank and the food was served. Steve couldn’t figure out how they got so much food ready at such short notice, but he wasn’t complaining at all. There were meats and breads with hearty sauces and gravies. The food was rich and filling and very tasty. He smiled when he thought of Thor and his Poptarts and Loki’s love for pizza.

After dinner, Steve asked the others if they wished to stay a few days. Everyone agreed that they did. Valkyrie found places for them all, grinning quite wickedly when she put Steve with Loki. “You keep him out of trouble,” she told Steve. 

“You know better than that,” Steve said as they went into their quarters. 

Once the door was closed, he pulled Loki close. “Are you coming back with me?” 

Loki kissed and backed him toward the bed. 

“Avoiding my question?” Steve asked as Loki began working the fastenings on his suit. 

“I am. Now hush talking and let me do this.” He kissed and caressed the skin he exposed until Steve was only dressed in his boxers. Steve gave up on talking when Loki began to remove his own clothing between kisses. 

It was several hours later when they talked again. 

“You never answered my question,” Steve said as looked into Loki’s eyes. 

“I didn’t. I have no answer. I don’t know what to do. You seem to be in some sort of self-imposed exile from your Avengers and I am a being without any idea of where I fit in to anything. The Asgardians clearly don’t need me and I’m a villain to your people. Where do we go?”

“I didn’t consider any of that when I grabbed you. I wanted to stop you from taking the Tesseract and making more trouble. We’d all had more than enough trouble as it was.” 

“Do I have any choice in any of this?” Loki asked him. 

Steve nodded. “I won’t give you the Tesseract. It is too dangerous a temptation for you. But I won’t try to stop you from going wherever you wish.”

“Staying with you is tempting, soldier,” he said, using soldier as an endearment as he did when they made love. “You and my step-brother are the only two people I have ever loved. I – I love you and I love Thor. I think perhaps I need to find him, to let him know that I am alive. Perhaps someday we both will return to live in Asgard.” 

Steve pulled him closer and kissed his forehead. “I still won’t let you take the Tesseract,” he said with a laugh. 

Loki put his arm Steve’s chest and hugged him tight. “That won’t stop me from trying, will it?”

“God, I hope not,” Steve said with a laugh just before he pulled Loki up on top of him. “I don’t want a boring retirement, do I?” 

*

Epilogue 

“So why did you leave him in Asgard?” Bucky asked Steve. “He’s crazy about you. It was all over his face when he looked at you.”

“He has his own path.”

“Why didn’t you go with him then?” 

“He’ll be back.”

“Are you sure?” Bucky asked. 

Loki suddenly appeared on the sofa in Steve’s apartment. “ _Are_ you sure?” he asked Steve. “Come with me. Retirement sounds dull.”

“Where will we go?” Steve already knew he was going. Retirement was horribly dull. He’d thought of Loki every single day.

“We’ll find Thor. There’s bound to be adventure if Thor is nearby. After that, we’ll figure it out as we go.” 

Steve shrugged and looked at Bucky. “Why not?” 

Bucky hugged him. “Take care.” 

Steve turned to Loki. “Now what?” 

“Take my hand,” Loki told him. 

The last thing Bucky heard Steve say before they blinked away was, “Did I tell you that I could wield Thor’s Hammer?”

**Author's Note:**

> My [**Tumblr**](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexcat45).
> 
> I made up the Allmother and sort of borrowed a little from Norse Mythology when I decided to send Hela to Nastrond, on the far shores of Gjoll, which translates as "corpse strand," and is home to various giant serpents.


End file.
